Self-locking coin receptacle

ABSTRACT

A coin receptacle is provided which is simple and less costly to produce than coin receptacles now in use for similar purposes and which has a shutter-latch mechanism in which the latch cannot be actuated and the shutter locked unless the shutter is opened.

nited States Patent 11 1 McGough 1451 Sept. 24, 1974 SELF-LOCKING COIN RECEPTACLE [75] Inventor: Gerald B. McGough, Huntsville,

Ala.

[73] Assignee: GTE Automatic Electric Laboratories, Incorporated, Northlake, Ill.

Procter 232/15 1,964,528 6/1934 Mills 232/15 2,009,085 7/1935 Jackson 232/15 2,096,476 10/1937 Veale 232/15 2,371,114 3/1945 Stoeser 232/15 2,604,259 7/1952 Anderson.... 232/15 3,214,089 10/1965 Smith 232/15 3,353,743 11/1967 Amundsen 232/43.2 X

Primary ExaminerJoseph H. McGlynn Assistant Examiner-Peter A. Aschenbrenner V [5 7] ABSTRACT A coin receptacle is provided which is simple and less costly to produce than coin receptacles now in use for similar purposes and which has a shutter-latch mechanism in which the latch cannot be actuated and the shutter locked unless the shutter is opened.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SELF-LOCKING COIN RECEPTACLE BACKGROUND Coin receptacles of the self-locking type such as are used in pay telephone installations are well known. These receptacles receive the coins as they are deposited by the user and the receptacles are periodically removed from the pay telephone or other installation so that the coins can be collected and transported to a receiving station. The purpose of the self-locking type coin receptacle is to provide a pilferage-proof container for the receipt and transport of the coins collected. One type of container now in use is a metal container of welded or riveted construction. It consists of two parts, namely, the receptacle or box and a cover containing the self-locking mechanism. They are attached to one another in a hinge-like manner, the cover portion being capable of being closed down upon the box portion and wire-sealed shut. In this arrangement it is impossible to remove the cover without removing the wire seal.

The self-locking cover has a shutter-latch mechanism which allows the coin opening in the cover to open and close just once upon insertion and removal from the pay telephone vault adapted to receive the receptacle. This prevents re-opening and pilferage of coins on the part of the collector. It is impossible to remove the coin receptacle from the pay telephone without closing the coin opening. Resetting of the shutter and latch mechanism can only be accomplished from inside the coin receptacle.

In the type of self-locking coin receptacle previously described some difficulty has been encountered with unintentional locking of the coin box shutters during transport. This is due to the fact that the latch is spring loaded and can be tripped without actually opening the shutter. Due to the manner in which they are constructed, self-locking coin receptacles of the type described are also relatively costly.

OBJECTS One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and improved self-locking coin receptacle which can be used for collecting coins in telephone pay stations or other installations and which is relatively simple in construction and less costly than self-locking coin receptacles now in use of the type previously described and which eliminates some of the problems such as unintentional locking encountered in the use of self-locking coin receptacles of the type previously mentioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selflocking coin receptacle of the type described having a cover with an opening therein that is opened and closed by means of a shutter which has a latch member and a spring cooperatively arranged therewith so that the latch cannot be actuated and the shutter locked in the closed position unless the shutter is first opened and thereafter closed.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a coin receptacle provided in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the coin receptacle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a shutter-latch mechanism contained within a compartment, a part of which is the cover of the coin receptacle illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrating in full lines the position of the shutterlatch mechanism when it is preset prior to installation into the vault of a coin telephone and showing in dotted lines the position of the shutter-latch mechanism after installation into the vault of a coin telephone;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the shutter-latch mechanism shown in FIG. 3 after the coin receptacle has been removed from the coin telephone and the coin receiving opening has been closed by the shutter which is then locked in the closed position;

FIG. 5 is an inverted side view of the shutter-latch mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the shutter-latch mechanism from the bottom.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a self-locking coin receptacle comprising (a) a coin receptacle having a cover with an opening therein permitting the deposit of coins through said opening into said receptacle, (b) a shutter mounted to open and close said opening in said cover, (0) a latch member mounted to cooperate with and latch said shutter in a closed position after said shutter has been first opened and thereafter closed, and (d) a spring connecting said shutter and said latch member, said shutter, said latch member and said spring being cooperatively arranged so that said latch cannot be actuated and the shutter locked in the closed position unless the shutter is first opened and thereafter closed.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a coin receptacle which can be manufactured from a clear plastic material so that the coinage is visible within the receptacle with a lid molded by an integral hinge to the main body portion of the receptacle and provided with means for snapping the lid shut and holding it in place so as to prevent tampering.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings the coin receptacle illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a main body portion self-locking shutter-latch mechanism hereinafter described. Lid 2 contains a closure member 7 adapted to be received and snapped into area 8 of main body portion 1.

A tamperproof seal can be placed around the line of intersection of the lid 2 and main body portion 1 when the lid is in its closed position so that any attempt to tamper with the receptacle will be visible.

A wire handle 11 is inserted in recess 12 of main body portion 1 with the ends 13 and 14 mounted in holes in walls 15 and 16 which form sides of recess 12 so that handle 11 will pivot. In normal use handle 11 will lie flat against innerwall 17 of recess 12 and can be grasped by the fingers and pulled upwardly when it is desired to remove the coin receptacle from the pay station vault in which it is installed.

The cover 18 of lid 2 contains an opening 19 permitting the deposit of coins when shutter 20 is open. In the position shown in FIG. 2 shutter 20 is closed. Shutter 20 is connected to lever 21 which is mounted and moves in arcuate slot 22.

Normally when the coin receptacle is installed in a pay station vault, lever 21 will move from position A to position B (FIG. 2) thereby opening shutter 20 and permitting coins to be deposited through opening 19.

The shutter-latch self-locking mechanism is carried in a compartment in lid 2 defined by sides 23, 24, 25 and 26, cover 18 and bottom member 27 containing an opening 28, aligned with opening 19.

The shutter-latch mechanism is mounted on the underside of cover 18 and cover 18 is held by means of rivets 29, 30, 31 and 32 or by any other suitable connecting means to member 27.

Cover 18 is recessed inwardly at 33 and 34, the recessed portion 33 containing a pivot member for shutter 20 and the recessed portion 34 containing a pivot member 36 for a latch 37. The pivot members 35 and 36 extend between cover 18 and a shield plate 38 which is spaced from and parallel to the underside of cover 18. An extension spring 39 connects shutter 20 to latch 37. One end 40 of extension spring 39 passes through an opening 41 in shutter 20 and the other end 42 of spring 39 passes through an opening in projecting portion 43 of latch 37. The projecting portion 43 extends outwardly and then upwardly in the direction of the underside of cover 18 and then downwardly within a recess 44 of shutter 20. Spring 39 is also disposed in recess 44. Shutter 20 is connected to pivot member 35 through arm 45 which is bent downwardly at 46. Actuating arm 21 of shutter 20 is bent upwardly at 47 and passes through arcuate opening 22.

Latch 37 contains a projecting member 48 which extends outwardly and upwardly and is adapted to be received by recess 49 in shutter 20. Latch member 3 also contains an outwardly and downwardly extending resetting arm 50 which extends through an opening 51 in the bottom 27 (FIG. 1) of the shutter-latch mechanism compartment.

Shutter 20 contains a recess 52, one of the sides of which is an extension of side 53 of opening 44. Recess 52 is adapted to receive projecting member 43 of latch 37 when the shutter-latch mechanism assumes the selflocking position shown in FIG. 4. The exploded view in FIG. 6 illustrates in perspective the essential components of the shutter-latch mechanism when viewed from the bottom or inside of the coin receptacle showing the shield plate 38, the latch 37, the shutter 20 and the cover 18 containing the opening 19 through which coins are deposited. It will be observed that this mechanism is extremely simple in that it contains only a single spring 39 connected as shown by the arrows directly to the shutter and to the projecting member 43 of the latch.

As previously indicated, the main body portion 1 and the compartment housing shutter-latch mechanism are preferably made of a material which is translucent to transparent so that the general outline of the contents is visible from the outside of the receptacle. The cover 18 is preferably made of metal but can be made of any other suitable material. The same is true of the shutter 20, the latch plate 37 and the shield 38. The shield 38 has upwardly extending sides 54 and 55 which contact the underside of cover 18 and can be affixed thereon in any suitable manner. However, shield 38 is also held in position by pivot points 35 and 36 which are normally flattened on their outer ends.

OPERATION The shutter-latch mechanism has three positions as illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4. The first position shown in FIG. 3 with the shutter 20 in full lines is a preset position wherein the projecting member 48 is received in recess 49. In this position arm 21 can be moved to the dot-dash position shown in the upper part of FIG. 3. This movement occurs automatically when the coin receptacle is installed in the vault of a pay telephone or other receiving station. The dot-dash position is the position occupied by shutter 20 when it has been moved away from opening 19 in cover 18 so that coins are free to pass through opening 19 and opening 28 into the coin receptacle. This is the normal position of the shutter 20 while the coin receptacle is in use and it is held in this position by the manner in which it is secured in the vault of the pay station which is conventional and is not shown.

As shutter 20 moves from the full line position in FIG. 3 to the dot-dash position, the lower side of recess 49 cams projecting portion 48 of latch 37 out of the recess against the pressure of spring 39 and as soon as projecting portion 48 leaves recess 49 the spring pressure of spring 39 causes latch 37 to rotate a short distance until it occupies approximately the same position it initially occupied in the preset position.

When the receptacle is removed from the vault of the pay station arm 21 is no longer restrained and therefore shutter 20 automatically closes opening 19 due to the pressure exerted by spring 39. This produces the arrangement of parts shown in FIG. 4. As shutter 20 moves from the dot-dash position shown in FIG. 3 to the full line position shown in FIG. 4, spring 39 pulls projecting portion 43 of latch 37 and latch 37 rotates around pivot member 36 until projecting member 43 is opposite recess 52. At this point the shutter becomes self-locked due to the fact that projecting portion 43 will now strike against the side of recess 52 if an attempt is made to open the shutter by moving arm 21 in slot 22.

In order to reset the latch to the preset position shown in full line in FIG. 3 the arm 50 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in full line in FIG. 3. This causes the projecting member 48 to cam surface 56 and shutter 20 outwardly until projecting member 48 enters recess 49 whereby due to the pressure of spring 39, shutter 20 is returned to the full line position shown in FIG. 3. Due to the fact that lid 2 can be easily opened around hinge 4, it is a simple matter to open lid 2, grasp arm 50 and reset shutter 20 to the preset position in which the coin receptacle unit is now ready to be re-installed in the vault of a pay station. Resetting of the latch mechanism to the preset position can be done without the use of a screwdriver or any other tool. It is practically impossible to cause actuation of the self-locking mechanism unintentionally be cause the self-locking mechanism canot be actuated until after the shutter has been moved to the open position.

What is claimed is:

1. In a self-locking coin receptacle wherein a coin receptacle with a cover having an opening therein has a pivotally mounted shutter member in normally closed position with respect to said opening which shutter member has an outwardly extending lever causing it to move to uncover said opening and permit deposit of coins into said receptacle when said receptacle is placed in a receiving vault and which shutter member automatically moves to close said opening and is locked in closed position by a latch member when said receptacle is withdrawn from said vault, the improvement which comprises operating mechanism containing only three moving parts, one of said moving parts being said shutter member, a second being a latch member, and the third being a single spring directly connecting said shutter member and said latch member, said spring normally biasing said shutter member to a closed position over said opening, said latch member and said shutter member having an interfitting projection and recess normally engaged with one another in a pre-set position in which said latch member and said shutter member will normally remain fixed but will permit said shutter member to be moved to uncover said opening in the receptacle when said outwardly extending lever on said shutter is moved as said coin receptacle is inserted into the receiving vault, whereupon said interfitting projection and recess become disengaged from said pre-set position, said latch member and said shutter member having a second interfitting projection and recess which engage one another in a locking position when said ,coin receptacle is withdrawn from its receiving vault thereby causing said spring to retract said shutter member until said latch member and said shutter member are in said locking position, and manually operable means associated with said latch member to move said latch member and said shutter member simultaneously against the pressure of said spring from said locked position to said pre-set position.

2. A self-locking coin receptacle as claimed in claim 1 in which said latch comprises means connected to said latch for disengaging it after said latch has locked said shutter and re-setting it to a position in which said shutter can be opened, said means comprising a lever arm connected to said latch and extending outwardly from said latch into said coin receptacle so that it can be grasped and moved manually. 

1. In a self-locking coin receptacle wherein a coin receptacle with a cover having an opening therein has a pivotally mounted shutter member in normally closed position with respect to said opening which shutter member has an outwardly extending lever causing it to move to uncover said opening and permit deposit of coins into said receptacle when said receptacle is placed in a receiving vault and which shutter member automatically moves to close said opening and is locked in closed position by a latch member when said receptacle is withdrawn from said vault, the improvement which comprises operating mechanism containing only three moving parts, one of said moving parts being said shutter member, a second being a latch member, and the third being a single spring directly connecting said shutter member and said latch member, said spring normally biasing said shutter member to a closed position over said opening, said latch member and said shutter member having an interfitting projection and recess normally engaged with one another in a pre-set position in which said latch member and said shutter member will normally remain fixed but will permit said shutter member to be moved to uncover said opening in the receptacle when said outwardly extending lever on said shutter is moved as said coin receptacle is inserted into the receiving vault, whereupon said interfitting projection and recess become disengaged from said pre-set position, said latch member and said shutter member having a second interfitting projection and recess which engage one another in a locking position when said coin receptacle is withdrawn from its receiving vault thereby causing said spring to retract said shutter member until said latch member and said shutter member are in said locking position, and manually operable means associated with said latch member to move said latch member and said shutter member simultaneously against the pressure of said spring from said locked position to said pRe-set position.
 2. A self-locking coin receptacle as claimed in claim 1 in which said latch comprises means connected to said latch for disengaging it after said latch has locked said shutter and re-setting it to a position in which said shutter can be opened, said means comprising a lever arm connected to said latch and extending outwardly from said latch into said coin receptacle so that it can be grasped and moved manually. 